Broncos rookie quarterback Paxton Lynch of the May 9, 2016 cover of Sports Illustrated. (Provided by Sports Illustrated)
Paxton Lynch hasn’t taken a snap with the Broncos yet, but the rookie quarterback will get his first Sports Illustrated cover.
Lynch will be on the cover of the May 9, 2016 edition. His is one of three variant covers. The other two feature fellow first-round quarterbacks Jared Goff of the Los Angeles Rams and Carson Wentz of the Philadelphia Eagles.
Lynch is the first Broncos rookie quarterback featured since John Elway graced the Aug. 15, 1983 cover, weeks before his regular-season debut with the Broncos.
Is there a curse with the magazine cover? A look at Broncos quarterbacks making their first prominent appearance on the SI cover showed some truth to this.
Manning was first featured in a Denver jersey on the Sept. 12, 2012 edition. The Broncos lost 27-21 to Atlanta that week, and Manning threw three interceptions.
Tim Tebow was featured on the Dec. 19, 2011 edition. The Broncos lost to Buffalo in their next game 40-14. Tebow completed just 13 of 29 passes and threw three interceptions.
Jake Plummer was on the cover of the edition leading up to the 2006 AFC championship game. The Broncos fell 34-17.
In Elway’s debut, the Broncos won 14-10 over Pittsburgh, but the rookie wasn’t much help, completing just 1 of 8 passes for 14 yards.
Brock Osweiler broke the curse when he appeared on the Dec. 2, 2015 regional cover. In the game following the issue, Osweiler led Denver to a 17-3 win at San Diego. The Broncos would end the season as Super Bowl champions.
